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United States Patent |
5,537,982
|
Milunas
,   et al.
|
July 23, 1996
|
Fuel injection timing control
Abstract
Timing of delivery of a determined fuel injection quantity is adapted for
engine operating conditions including current conditions and likely future
conditions under which the fueling requirement may vary significantly from
fueling event to fueling event. Parameters are sensed indicating the
actual engine operating condition and indicating any current or potential
transients, and a fuel injection timing value referenced as a function of
the parameters to account not only for the current engine condition, but
for likely future conditions.
Inventors:
|
Milunas; Rimas S. (Rochester Hills, MI);
Schroeder; Matthew A. (Plymouth, MI)
|
Assignee:
|
Saturn Corporation (Troy, MI)
|
Appl. No.:
|
422238 |
Filed:
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April 14, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: |
123/492; 123/478; 123/493 |
Intern'l Class: |
F02D 041/08; F02D 041/10; F02D 041/12 |
Field of Search: |
123/492,493,501,502,478
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
3633559 | Jan., 1972 | Eheim | 123/502.
|
4596221 | Jun., 1986 | Ament et al. | 123/501.
|
4957086 | Sep., 1990 | Sasaki et al. | 123/492.
|
4987876 | Jan., 1991 | Minamitani et al. | 123/492.
|
5003953 | Apr., 1991 | Weglarz et al. | 123/492.
|
5054451 | Oct., 1991 | Kushi | 123/478.
|
5222481 | Jun., 1993 | Morikawa | 123/435.
|
5235954 | Aug., 1993 | Sverdlin | 123/447.
|
5241939 | Sep., 1993 | Nonaka | 123/492.
|
Primary Examiner: Argenbright; Tony M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bridges; Michael J.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which a property or privilege is
claimed are described as follows:
1. A method for controlling timing of delivery of a determined fuel
quantity to an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold,
comprising the steps of:
storing a schedule of fuel injection timing values as a function of at
least intake manifold pressure and rate of change of intake manifold
pressure;
sensing intake manifold pressure and rate of change of intake manifold
pressure;
referencing a fuel injection timing value from the stored schedule as a
function of at least the sensed intake manifold pressure and rate of
change of intake manifold pressure; and
timing delivery of the determined fuel quantity in accord with the
referenced fuel injection timing value.
2. A method for controlling the timing of delivery of a determined fuel
quantity to an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
storing a schedule of fuel injection timing values as a function of at
least one predetermined engine operating parameter;.
sensing the at least one predetermined engine operating parameter;
referencing a fuel injection timing value from the stored schedule as a
function of the sensed at least one predetermined engine operating
parameter;
timing delivery of the determined fuel quantity in accord with the
referenced fuel injection timing value;
sensing an engine idle operating condition;
referencing a predetermined maximum timing retard value upon sensing the
engine idle operating condition; and
timing delivery of the determined fuel quantity in accord with the
predetermined maximum timing retard value upon sensing the engine idle
operating condition.
3. A method for controlling a time of delivery of a determined amount of
fuel to an automotive internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
sensing a value of an engine operating parameter;
determining that a predetermined decrease transient condition is likely to
occur when the sensed value is within a predetermined first range of
values;
referencing a predetermined late injection timing value when the
predetermined decrease transient is determined to be likely to occur; and
controlling the time of delivery in accord with the referenced late
injection timing value when the predetermined decrease transient is
determined to be likely to occur.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
determining when the predetermined decrease transient is occurring;
referencing the predetermined late injection timing value when the
predetermined decrease transient is occurring; and
controlling the time of delivery in accord with the referenced late
injection timing value when the predetermined decrease transient is
occurring.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:
determining a time rate of change in a predetermined engine parameter;
and wherein the step of determining when the predetermined decrease
transient is occurring determines that the predetermined decrease
transient is occurring when the determined time rate of change is less
than zero.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:
determining when a predetermined increase transient is occurring;
referencing a predetermined early injection timing value when the
predetermined increase transient is occurring; and
controlling the time of delivery in accord with the referenced early
injection timing value when the predetermined increase transient is
occurring.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:
determining a time rate of change in a predetermined engine parameter;
and wherein the step of determining when the predetermined increase
transient is occurring determines that the predetermined increase
transient is occurring when the determined time rate of change is greater
than zero.
8. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined decrease transient is a
transient engine operating condition in which engine inlet air rate is
decreasing.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined increase transient is a
transient engine operating condition in which engine inlet air rate is
increasing.
10. The method of claim 5, in which the engine comprises an intake manifold
for receiving inlet air, wherein the engine operating parameter and the
predetermined engine parameter are intake manifold pressure.
11. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
determining that a predetermined increase transient condition is likely to
occur when the sensed value is within a predetermined second range of
values;
referencing a predetermined early injection timing value when the
predetermined increase transient is determined to be likely to occur; and
controlling the time of delivery in accord with the referenced early
injection timing value when the predetermined increase transient is
determined to be likely to occur.
12. A method for controlling a time of delivery of a determined amount of
fuel to an automotive internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
sensing a value of an engine operating parameter;
determining that a predetermined increase transient condition is likely to
occur when the sensed value is within a predetermined range of values;
referencing a predetermined early injection timing value when the
predetermined increase transient is determined to be likely to occur; and
controlling the time of delivery in accord with the referenced early
injection timing value when the predetermined increase transient is
determined to be likely to occur.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to internal combustion engine control and, more
particularly, to dynamic internal combustion engine fuel injection timing
control.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Internal combustion engine fuel injection timing refers to the time of
delivery of a determined fuel quantity to an internal combustion engine,
relative to the engine crank angle. Fuel injection timing may be expressed
as an angular offset between an established crank angle, such as the crank
angle at an intake valve opening or closing event, and the crank angle at
which the fuel delivery begins or ends.
To maintain a desirable engine air/fuel ratio, the amount of fuel delivered
is varied as a function of engine operating parameters. For example, the
crank angle at which delivery of fuel ends may remain fixed while the
crank angle at which delivery of fuel begins may vary as a function of the
operating parameters. Such conventional control benefits from a variation
in the amount of fuel delivered while holding the timing of delivery
substantially constant. In general, conventional fuel delivery timing may
be set to a fixed early timing, wherein fuel is injected into an engine
intake passage well before a corresponding cylinder intake valve opens to
admit the fuel to the cylinder. Such early injection timing increases fuel
"residence time", which is the amount of time the fuel has to heat up and
vaporize in the area of the hot cylinder intake valve prior to entering
the cylinder for combustion. Vaporized fuel generally burns more
completely in the cylinder than does liquid fuel. Therefore, up to a
timing limit, increased residence time increases the potential for
efficient and complete internal combustion engine combustion, increasing
engine performance and reducing engine emissions.
Under transient conditions, such as conditions characterized by a rapidly
changing engine load, static early injection timing may not be desirable.
For example, under decrease transients, such as lift-off transient
conditions characterized by a rapidly decreasing engine load, such as when
an engine operator commands a rapid decrease in engine speed or output
torque, conventional static early injection timing practices lag behind
the rapidly reducing fueling needs of the engine, and may require several
fueling cycles of delay before properly fueling the engine. Indeed, such
conventional practices may not properly fuel the engine until the
transient is substantially dissipated due to the early generation and
issuance of a fueling command. Specifically, overfueling may occur leading
to reduced engine performance.
Likewise, under increase transients, such as tip-in transient conditions
characterized by a rapidly increasing engine load, such as when an engine
operator commands a rapid increase in engine speed or output torque, early
injection timing is preferred for flexibility in control of the amount of
fuel delivered and for maximum residence time. For example, it may be
desirable for engine response performance, to significantly increase the
amount of fuel injected under throttle tip-in transient conditions. Early
injection timing will allow for a maximum time for such an increase
without overlapping subsequent engine control events, such as the intake
valve closing event for the cylinder being fueled. Such valve closing
event will effectively truncate the fuel injection event duration,
resulting in tip-in underfueling and potential lean hesitation. Throttle
tip-in transient conditions at engine idle are particularly sensitive to
underfueling and further can require significant increases in the amount
of fuel delivered. As such, all but extremely early injection timing
values are unacceptable for engine idle tip-in transient conditions. The
significant variation in fuel injection timing requirements under
different transient conditions makes the conventional static fuel
injection timing determination unacceptable. Accordingly, it would be
desirable to provide for fuel injection timing control that dynamically
adapts to the specific timing needs corresponding to various transient
conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a desirable dynamic fuel injection timing
control approach that detects current and likely future transient
conditions, diagnoses the nature or severity of the transient condition,
and selects the fuel injection timing best suited to the specific needs of
the current and of the likely future transient condition.
More specifically, engine operating parameters are analyzed and used to not
only diagnose the current operating condition of the engine, but also of
any likely transient condition that may occur in the near future. Fuel
injection timing values are stored as a function of such parameters
reflecting the fuel injection timing required to compensate for current
conditions as indicated by the parameters and also to compensate for
likely future transient conditions. Current fuel control needs will
therefore be addressed without ignoring likely needs in the near future.
The result is an overall fuel control that is competent to provide high
performance and low emissions under current conditions without sacrificing
performance or emissions when a sudden transient condition occurs
requiring significant change in fuel control, such as a change in the
amount of fuel delivered or the time of fuel delivery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be best understood by reference to the preferred
embodiment and to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of the engine and engine control hardware of
the preferred embodiment;
FIGS. 2A-2E are timing diagrams illustrating a timed relationship between
engine control events in accord with this invention;
FIG. 3 is a computer flow diagram illustrating steps used to carry out the
fuel injection timing control of the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a graphical drawing illustrating a relationship between manifold
absolute pressure and fuel injection timing under a variety of transient
conditions in accord with the timing determination of the preferred
embodiment; and
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate injection timing limits as a function of engine
operating parameters as referenced in the operations of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, internal combustion engine 10 receives inlet air
through manual positioning of an inlet air valve 12 such as a conventional
butterfly or rotary valve positioned within throttle bore 14. The angular
position of the valve 12 is transduced through conventional rotary
potentiometric position sensor 20 which outputs signal Tp indicating the
displacement of the valve 12 away from a rest position. Inlet air passes
through bore 14 to engine intake manifold 16 for distribution to engine
cylinders (not shown). Conventional pressure sensor 18 transduces the
absolute air pressure in the intake manifold 16 and outputs signal MAP
indicating such pressure. The inlet air is combined with a fuel charge in
the engine cylinders and combusted for angular displacement of an engine
output shaft 22 such as a conventional crankshaft. The rotational
displacement of the output shaft 22 is sensed by conventional variable
reluctance or Hall effect sensor 24, which outputs signal RPM
characterized by a periodic analog signal, the frequency of which is
directly proportional to the rate of rotation of the shaft 22. An input
signal TEMP may also be provided in this embodiment indicating engine
coolant temperature as provided, for example, by a conventional thermistor
disposed in a coolant flow path. Beyond the described sensors 18, 20 and
24, other conventional sensors for sensing such engine parameters as
pressure, temperature, speed, and other conventional engine parameters are
provided for engine control operations in accord with general engine
control practices. Such sensors output signals to engine controller 30
which may include such generally known controller elements as a central
processing unit, a random access memory unit, a read only memory unit, and
input/output units. The input/output units are generally directed by the
central processing unit to read signals from the various engine sensors
and to output control commands to various engine control actuators such as
actuators controlling admission of fuel and air to the engine 10 and
controlling the timing of engine ignition events. For example, engine
controller periodically executes a fuel control algorithm comprising a
series of fuel control operations executed in a step-by-step manner to
generate a command FUEL indicating a timing and duration of a fuel pulse
width applied to conventional fuel injectors (not shown). At the fuel
injection timing determined in accord with this invention, the command
FUEL is applied to a fuel controller 32 which translates the command into
an appropriate form for application to a drive circuit 34 which may
include a conventional current driver suitable for applying energization
signals to each of the fuel injectors of the engine. The controller 32
will apply the command FUEL to an active engine fuel injector through the
drive circuit 34, wherein an active fuel injector corresponds to an engine
cylinder currently carrying out its exhaust or intake strokes. The drive
circuit 34 issues a duty cycle command DC to the active fuel injector to
open the fuel injector for a metering of pressurized fuel to the intake
air passage of the active engine cylinder where the injected fuel will
reside until the intake valve for the corresponding cylinder is opened
allowing the fuel to be ingested into the cylinder for combustion therein.
The combustion gasses produced through engine cylinder combustion
operations are guided out of the engine via exhaust gas conduit 26.
Referring to FIGS. 2A-2E, relative timing of engine angular position events
and fuel injection events in a conventional four cylinder engine in accord
with the preferred embodiment are illustrated. Engine output shaft event
signals 100 of FIG. 2A which, in this embodiment, occur every 60 angular
degrees of rotation of output shaft 22 (FIG. 1), provide engine angular
position information useful for event-based engine control operations as
are generally understood in the art. For synchronization of the crank
event signals 100, a camshaft event signal 102 is provided indicating the
absolute angular position of the engine within an engine cycle. For
example, at the negative going pulse 102A of signal 102, the engine is at
a predetermined start position in an engine cycle and at position 102B of
signal 102, is at the same angular position in a subsequent consecutive
engine cycle. Synchronization information from signal 102 is provided to
apply the relative angle position information of signals 100 to absolute
engine cylinder event signals.
FIGS. 2B-2E generally illustrate the relationship between ignition events,
engine angular position, and intake valve opening events, to indicate the
fuel injection timing range that may yield improvements in engine
performance and emissions in accord with this invention. For example, for
a first engine cylinder described by the signals in FIG. 2B, the
corresponding intake valve for the cylinder opens for a duration of time
illustrated by the duration of pulse 106. Such intake valve event is
followed by ignition event 108 at which the admitted air/fuel charge is
combusted in the cylinder. At a next consecutive engine cycle intake event
110, again an air/fuel charge is admitted to the cylinder, and is then
combusted at a following ignition event 104. Likewise, for a second engine
cylinder, events of which are described by the signals in FIG. 2C, intake
events 112, 116 and 120 are each followed by ignition events, such as
events 114 and 118. For a third engine cylinder, events of which are
illustrated by the signals in FIG. 2D, intake events 122 and 126 are
followed by ignition events 124 and 128. Finally, in a fourth engine
cylinder, events of which are illustrated by the FIG. 2E, intake events
130 and 138 are followed by ignition events 134 and 140, respectively. For
this fourth cylinder, fuel injection event 132 illustrates an early
injection timing having the benefit of allowing for a maximum residence
time on the intake valve prior to the opening thereof, to provide for a
maximum vaporization of the fuel for a more complete combustion of the
air/fuel charge in the cylinder. The early injection time 132 also
provides for the maximum flexibility for fuel charge magnitude variation
during certain transient conditions that are determined to be likely to
occur in the near future, or that are currently occurring, such as tip-in
transient conditions in which a significant increase in the duration of
the event 132 may be desired to minimize hesitation and lean operation
during the tip-in and to improve engine performance stability under such
transient conditions.
Fuel injection event 136 of FIG. 2E, for the fourth cylinder of the engine
of this embodiment illustrates a late injection timing wherein a fuel
delivery error may be minimized during certain transient conditions that
are determined to be likely to occur in the near future or that are
currently occurring, such as throttle lift-off transient conditions, in
accord with this invention, by providing a maximum amount of time to
reduce fuel delivery error when engine load is significantly decreasing.
The delay in the injection timing illustrated by event 136 overlaps the
corresponding intake valve opening event 138 thereby significantly
reducing the residence time of the injected fuel quantity. Nonetheless,
the late injection timing 136 provides a beneficial fuel timing control by
minimizing fuel delivery error under certain transient conditions wherein
such error has a much more significant impact on engine performance and
emissions than does the slight reduction in combustion efficiency that
corresponds to the reduced residence time of the injected fuel.
By varying strategically the timing of the fuel injection event between the
extremes 132 and 136 for each of the engine cylinders of this embodiment,
a beneficial engine performance and emissions control is provided under
current or likely future transient conditions yielding a maximum control
flexibility, low engine emissions, and improved engine performance under
the transient conditions in accord with this invention.
To provide for such dynamic fuel injection timing control in accord with
specific needs of each of the engine cylinders in accord with this
embodiment, a series of fuel timing control operations are periodically
executed during engine operation. Such operations are generally
illustrated by the routine of FIG. 3, which is executed upon each
occurrence of a crank event, such as upon each occurrence of the events
100 of FIG. 2A. A controller interrupt may be generated for each crank
event, such as by applying a high voltage level to an input capture port
of the controller 30 of FIG. 1. An interrupt service routine, stored in
controller read only memory, may be executed upon occurrence of the
interrupt by suspending any controller operations currently being
executed, and vectoring to the service routine which may be executed in a
step by step manner until complete. When the interrupt servicing is
complete, such as at the end of the interrupt service routine, the
suspended operations may be resumed and the interrupt reset to occur upon
the next crank event.
The inventors intend that the series of fuel timing control operations,
such as the operations illustrated in the routine of FIG. 3 may, in an
alternative embodiment in accord with this invention, also be executed
periodically as a function of time, such as by including such operations
in a timer interrupt service routine which is executed to service a timer
interrupt occurring at a predetermined time rate while the controller 30
of FIG. 1 is operating.
Returning to FIG. 3, the crank event interrupt service routine in accord
with the present embodiment starts, upon occurrence of the crank event
interrupt, at a step 50. The routine proceeds from step 50 to a next step
51 to determine if the current crank event is a fuel control event. In
this embodiment in which crank events occur approximately every sixty
degrees of crankshaft rotation, three crank events occur for each cylinder
intake event, prior to which a fuel injection event must occur. Prior to
the fuel injection event, a calculation of the fuel injection quantity and
of the fuel injection timing must occur as are provided for through the
operations of FIG. 3. Accordingly, at step 51 for every three crank
events, or equivalently for every 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation, a
fuel control event will occur and the steps of FIG. 3 for generating fuel
injection quantity and a fuel injection timing are executed. However, if
the current crank event is not a fuel control event as determined at the
step 51, the routine proceeds to carry out any required engine control and
diagnostic operations at a next step 53, such as operations executed every
sixty or 120 degrees of crankshaft rotation, as are generally understood
in the art. Such control and diagnostics may include ignition control
operations, diagnostic operations for fuel injection and ignition systems
and other generally understood control and diagnostic operations carried
out in accord with conventional engine control and diagnostic practices.
After executing such control and diagnostic operations at the step 53, the
routine of FIG. 3 proceeds to a step 80 to return and to resume any prior
operations that were ongoing and were temporarily suspended at the time of
the crank event interrupt.
Returning to the step 51, if the current crank event is a fuel control
event, then the routine proceeds to a next step 52 to read input signals
from engine sensors used in the operations of FIG. 3. In this embodiment,
such signals include signal MAP indicating absolute air pressure in the
intake manifold 16 of FIG. 1, signal TP indicating the angular
displacement of the intake air valve 12 away from a rest position, signal
TEMP indicating engine coolant temperature, and signal RPM indicating a
rate of rotation of engine output shaft 22 of FIG. 1. After reading
signals at the step 52, a value .DELTA.MAP is generated at a next step 54
representing a time rate of change in air pressure in the intake manifold
16 of FIG. 1 over a predetermined period of time. The value .DELTA.MAP may
be generated by differentiating a predetermined series of read MAP
signals, or by taking a difference between consecutive read MAP signals or
by taking an average difference between a plurality of MAP signals. After
generating .DELTA.MAP at the step 54, the steps 56 and 58 are executed to
determine if the current intake air valve position TP and the current
engine speed RPM indicate that the engine is at an idle operating
condition. For example, if TP is substantially zero at the step 56, and if
RPM is within a predetermined engine speed range bounded by RPMLO on a low
engine speed boundary and RPMHI on a high engine speed boundary at a next
step 58, then the engine is assumed to be at an idle operating condition.
In this embodiment, RPMLO is calibrated to about 600 r.p.m. and RPMHI is
calibrated to about 1000 r.p.m. If at an idle operating condition, the
routine proceeds to a step 60 to reference an idle injection timing value
in accord with this invention. Curve 150 of FIG. 4 illustrates the
calibrated fuel injection timing represented by an end of injection time
in crankshaft angular degrees from a predetermined Crank event for the
idle engine operating condition.
As illustrated by curve 150, the end of injection time is substantially
insensitive to changes in manifold absolute pressure MAP at engine idle,
due to the low likelihood of an overfueling condition and to the
corresponding low potential for a late fuel injection requirement. The
curve 150 corresponds to an early fuel injection timing as illustrated by
the injection event 132 of FIG. 2 which slightly overlaps a prior engine
cycle intake valve opening event for maximum residence time and maximum
fuel injection control flexibility, for example to rapidly increase engine
fueling without overlapping intake valve closing events in the likely
event of a future tip-in transient condition. The idle injection timing
value as illustrated by curve 150 of FIG. 4 may be referenced at the step
60 of FIG. 3 from engine controller read only memory as representing the
result of a conventional calibration process during which the idle
injection timing value is determined. After referencing the idle injection
timing value at the step 60, the routine proceeds to a next step 72, to be
described.
Returning to the steps 56 and 58, if the input signal TP is not
substantially zero or the engine speed is not substantially within the
predetermined engine speed range at the step 58, then the engine operating
condition is assumed to not be an idle condition. Other operating
parameters including vehicle speed, and current transmission gear may
further be used instead of or in addition to the parameters of TP and RPM
of the preferred embodiment, for determining whether an idle operating
condition is present, as is generally understood in the art.
If an idle condition is not assumed to be present at the steps 56 and 58,
the routine proceeds to a next step 62 to determine if the .DELTA.MAP
magnitude is substantially zero, indicating a steady state engine
operating condition. A steady state operating condition is characterized
by a substantially engine inlet air rate or cylinder inlet air rate, such
as may be characterized through conventional analysis of such parameters
and derivatives of such parameters as MAP, engine load, engine speed, or
engine mass airflow rate. For example, if the manifold absolute pressure
is substantially steady as indicated by a small (near zero) .DELTA.MAP
magnitude, a steady state operating condition is assumed to be present and
a fuel injection timing value may be referenced from controller read only
memory at a next step 70, for example as a predetermined function of MAP.
A relationship between fuel injection timing at steady state conditions
and such parameters as MAP is generally understood in the art and may be
established through a conventional calibration process by determining a
relationship for a specific engine between engine parameters such as MAP
and fuel injection timing requirements under steady state conditions. The
curve 170 of FIG. 4 illustrates a typical relationship for substantially
zero .DELTA.MAP values. The relationship of curve 170 may be stored in
controller read only memory in the form of a function representing the
relationship of curve 170 or in the form of a conventional lookup table.
After referencing the steady state injection timing value corresponding to
current operating parameter values at the step 70, a next step 72 is
executed, to be described.
Returning to the step 62, if the steady state engine operating condition is
not determined to be present, a transient fuel injection timing value is
referenced at a next step 64 as a predetermined function of engine
operating parameters, such as including MAP, and .DELTA.MAP in this
embodiment. The relationship between such values and engine operating
parameters is generally illustrated by curves 160 and 180 of FIG. 4. For
example, curve 160 represents the relationship between MAP and EOIT for
increase transients characterized by increasing MAP values indicated by a
significant positive .DELTA.MAP value. A tip-in transient condition in
which a rapid increase in throttle valve opening results in a rapid loss
of intake manifold vacuum is the sort of transient condition for which the
fuel injection timing of curve 160 may apply for maximum control
flexibility to increase rapidly the quantity of fuel injected and for
maximum fuel residence time to support more complete fuel combustion. For
such control benefits, EOIT remains low, such as near EOIT1 even for
relatively large MAP values, and yet increases significantly at high MAP
to avoid fuel injection event truncation, as described.
For decrease transients characterized by decreasing MAP values which may be
identified by significant negative .DELTA.MAP values, curve 180
illustrates the relationship between MAP and EOIT. For example, a lift-off
transient condition is a decrease transient that results in a rapid
decrease in MAP as intake manifold vacuum builds following a rapid closing
of an intake air valve 12 (FIG. 1). To ensure a high degree of fuel
injection accuracy under such conditions, EOIT will remain high, such as
near EOIT2 for a wide range of MAP values and will only decrease toward
EOIT1 when MAP is extremely small. Whether the transient is an increase or
a decrease, or whether in steady state conditions or at idle, the fuel
injection timing values provided through the family of curves in FIG. 4
provide for an anticipation of likely transient conditions that may occur
in the near future, as a function of current conditions. For example, all
curves 150-180 provide for early injection timing at extremely low MAP
values, as an increase transient such as a tip-in transient is likely to
occur when the engine is operating with extremely low MAP values. By
injecting fuel early in accord with this invention in anticipation of an
increase transient, fuel control flexibility is improved, for example to
allow for rapid increases in the fuel injection pulse duration without
overlapping an intake valve closing event which, as described, could
truncate the fueling event and result in underfueling and lean hesitation
during tip-in. Likewise, all curves 160-180 provide for late injection
timing at extremely high MAP values, as a decrease transient such as a
lift-off transient is likely to occur when the engine is operating with
extremely high MAP values. By injecting fuel late in accord with this
invention in anticipation of a likely decrease transient, additional time
may be made available for reduction of fueling in the event a decrease
transient occurs, improving control flexibility to adjust rapidly for the
transient and improving transient fuel control accuracy.
Rather than simply use a single curve 160 for increasing MAP values and
another curve 180 for decreasing MAP values, additional curves may be
provided and referenced as a function of a plurality of .DELTA.MAP values
in accord with this invention to provide for accurate fuel injection
timing control as a function of MAP and of .DELTA.MAP. Indeed, a three
dimensional relationship between parameters indicating the current
operating condition, such as the parameter of MAP in this embodiment,
parameters indicating the nature and degree of any current transient
condition, such as the parameter of .DELTA.MAP in this embodiment, and
EOIT may be stored in the form of a conventional lookup table and
referenced through the operations of FIG. 3 to provide for the timing
control in accord with the present invention. The simple curves 160 and
180 are provided as but one preferred example of how the nature and degree
of current and potential future transient conditions may be used to more
accurately and beneficially time fuel injection events in accord with this
invention.
It should be pointed out that curves 160, 170 and 180 provide for fuel
injection to end at about EOIT2, as the probability for a throttle
lift-off condition is highest for high MAP values and therefore the
probability that significant decrease in engine fueling requirement will
occur is high for such high MAP values. Likewise, for low MAP values,
curves 160, 170 and 180 maintain an early end of injection time, such as
an end of injection time near EOIT1, to provide for maximum residence time
of the injected fuel and in response to the high potential for a tip-in
transient condition. The curves of FIG. 4 may be stored in controller 30
read only memory in the form of conventional look-up tables wherein
look-up parameters of MAP and .DELTA.MAP may be used to reference an end
of injection time EOIT value from the table. For example, an idle fuel
injection timing schedule may be stored as a conventional look up table by
storing the end of injection time corresponding to a series of MAP values
as illustrated by curve 150 in FIG. 4 and then by referencing and,
perhaps, interpolating between various timing values to get the specific
timing value corresponding to the current MAP value. Such an approach to
referencing specific EOIT values may be sued for curves 160, 170 and 180
as well.
Returning to FIG. 3, after referencing the transient condition fuel
injection timing value at the step 64, such as by referencing the EOIT
value corresponding to the current MAP and .DELTA.MAP values from read
only memory, or after referencing timing values at the described steps 60
or 70, the steps 72-76 are executed to limit the end of injection time in
accord with current engine operating conditions to avoid certain specific
control difficulties that may occur in accord with this embodiment of this
invention. For example, at a first step 72, a maximum injection time
MAX1EOIT is referenced as a function of engine speed by applying the
current engine speed to a lookup table including calibrated MAX1EOIT
values paired with corresponding engine speed values. MAX1EOIT provides
for earlier fuel injection at low engine speeds to avoid injecting fuel
during intake air backflow conditions that occur at low engine speed
intake valve openings. FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship between engine
speed and MAX1EOIT for a typical engine calibration. Curve 190 of FIG. 5
illustrates a severe fuel injection timing limit at low engine speeds such
as speeds below calibrated engine speed S1 at which severe cylinder charge
backflow conditions can occur, reducing engine performance and increasing
engine emissions. The fuel injection timing limit therefore provides for
an earlier completion of the injection event to minimize the amount of
fuel injected while backflow conditions are present. At engine speeds
above S1 and approaching Sh, the backflow condition reduces significantly
with engine speed, reducing the early rejection requirement. At engine
speeds above the calibrated engine speed Sh, the backflow condition does
not significantly interfere with fuel injection timing over a broad timing
range so that even late fuel injection timing that may be desired in
accord with this invention may be provided, such as during a throttle
lift-off transient condition. The curve 190 of FIG. 5 may be stored as a
conventional look-up table and limit values MAX1EOIT that correspond to
current engine speed referenced therefrom.
After referencing the limit value at the step 72 of FIG. 3, a second limit
value is referenced at the next step 74 as a predetermined function of
engine coolant temperature TEMP to allow for a minimum reference time of
the injected fuel in the area of the unopened intake valve when the engine
is cold so as to provide additional time for fuel vaporization, to insure
a more complete combustion of the air/fuel charge in the engine cylinders
during cold engine operation.
Curve 200 of FIG. 6 illustrates a typical calibration of the relationship
between the coolant temperature TEMP and the limit value MAX2EOIT. For
example, at coolant temperature values below calibrated temperature T1, a
maximum residence time is required for acceptable fuel vaporization.
Accordingly, MAX2EOIT is set to a relatively low value to ensure that
early injection occurs. As engine coolant temperature increases above
calibrated temperature T1 and approaches a second calibrated temperature
Th, the residence time requirement is reduced, as the injected fuel
vaporizes more rapidly on a hot intake valve. For engine coolant
temperature exceeding calibrated temperature Th, the limit MAX2EOIT is
effectively so high as to not significantly interfere with the fuel
injection timing control of the present embodiment. The relationship of
engine coolant temperature to the limit value MAX2EOIT as illustrated in
calibration of curve 200 of FIG. 6, may be stored in the form of a
conventional look up table in controller read only memory and limit values
referenced therefrom as a function of the current TEMP value.
After referencing the limit value MAX2EOIT at the step 74 of FIG. 3, a next
step 76 is executed to limit the determined end of injection time to the
minimum of EOIT, MAX1EOIT, and MAX2EOIT, so that the end of injection time
determined through execution of the steps 60, 64, or 70 will not exceed
the smaller of the two limit values referenced at the steps 72 and 74.
After limiting the end of injection time at the step 76, a conventional
fuel pulse width calculation operation is executed at a next step 78 to
determine an appropriate fuel pulse width under the current engine
operating conditions to provide for a desirable engine air/fuel ratio,
such as the stoichiometric ratio, to minimize engine emissions and to
provide for acceptable engine performance in accord with generally
understood fuel control practices. Such fuel pulse width may be calculated
through application of a predetermined stored function or may be
referenced from a conventional look up table as a predetermined function
of engine operating parameters. Such fuel pulse width should be clearly
distinguished from a fuel timing command. The pulse width is generally
understood in the art to be the amount of time a fuel injector is to be
opened for each fuel injection event, to deliver a pulse of pressurized
fuel to an engine. Such pulse has a beginning time and an end time which
are merely provided to define the duration of the pulse and thus the
amount of fuel delivered. On the other hand, the present invention is
directed to the time that any such fuel injection pulse is delivered
relative to other engine events, such as crankshaft or camshaft events.
After determining the appropriate pulsewidth at the step 78, for example
through application of control principles generally understood in the art,
a start of injection time Tinj is determined as follows
Tinj=EOIT-PW
in which PW is the pulsewidth determined at the described step 78. This
equation clarifies the relationship between pulsewidth and the fuel
injection timing of the present invention, in which the pulsewidth is
applied to the absolute timing value EOIT so that the fuel injectors (not
shown) will begin injecting at Tinj and complete injecting at time EOIT,
and provide the desired amount of fuel to the engine.
After determining Tinj, a next step 82 provides for a start of fuel
injection for the next active engine cylinder at the engine angular
position corresponding to Tinj. For example, the value Tinj may be output
at the step 82 to the fuel controller 32 of FIG. 1, so that a beginning of
a drive pulse for an appropriate next fuel injector may be issued at an
engine angle corresponding to time TINJ. The duration of the pulse will
correspond to the determined pulse width PW from the described step 78, as
is generally understood in the art. The signal output to the controller 32
may drop to a low voltage level at the time EOIT to terminate the
injection event.
After enabling a start of injection at the step 82, conventional engine
control and diagnostic routines are executed at a next step 84, such as
including routines executed for each fuel injection event, including
conventional fuel injection diagnostics routines or engine air and
ignition timing routines. Upon completing such routines, and upon
completing the routines executed at the described step 53, the routine of
FIG. 3 proceeds to a step 86 to return to any ongoing operations that were
temporarily suspended for the servicing of the present crankshaft event
interrupt.
The preferred embodiment for the purpose of explaining this invention is
not to be taken as limiting or restricting this invention since many
modifications may be made through the exercise of ordinary skill in the
art without departing from the scope of this invention.
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